Captain Hook!

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Today, Jen and I saw Captain Hook walking the streets of St. Petersburg. That was at the end of the day though, so I'll talk a little bit about the last few days and what happened earlier today. Also, I know I said I would also write a little blurb in Russian, but I'm too tired for now.
So, we flew into St. Petersburg on Wednesday and checked into the Park Inn for a couple of nights. We got to change some money, call home, and get used to buying things at the 24 hour store. Jen, Kevin, Nick and I went out on the first night to a hookah/coffee bar. Hookah and drinking with a few other Americans was definitely an experience. We got our first taste of taking cabs and finding our way home after a night out.. hah.
Thursday we hung out with one of our new Russian friends, Anton. Anton is quite a character, speaking English with a near perfect British accent. We bought some Балтика (Baltika= a St. Pete's brewed beer) and Anton bought beer in a couple of 2.5 Liter bottles, suggesting we have a 'real orientation' into Russia. We played cards and took advantage of hotel life for one last night.
Friday, we packed up and met our host families. I have a host mother and two 'sisters'. There is also a grandson, Dima, and two cats. they don't speak any English, but they are really nice and quite helpful while I'm trying to learn. My room is nice. I have my own TV and internet. I don't spend too much time at home though, we've been busy with scavenger hunts and other orientation-type activities. We went to the Эрмитаж (Hermitage) the other day. It was really beautiful, and awe-inspiring. Look it up, it's seriously amazing. I may put up some pictures here or on facebook. I'm excited to go back sometime.
Lastly, today we took a 2 hour placement test.. which is why my brain is melted and I can't do the Russian thing tonight. After that we had the day to just hang out around the city, which was sweet, since we haven't really had the chance to just hang out during the day.
Anyway, that's all for today. I probably wont write as much next time... well at least I don't think so, I'm new at blogging. So, I'll try to keep it to amusing stories and just general cultural curiosities.
xo

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